How to Decorate a Pumpkin-Shaped Cookie for Halloween

Pumpkin cookies should include stems.

Halloween is the ideal time to let diets fall by the wayside. If you're going to enjoy sugary treats, you might as well make them Halloween themed. Buy pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters from a craft store or Halloween store. Mix up a batch of sugar cookies, since these can easily be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters. If you prefer more flavorful cookies, make up a batch of pumpkin- or spice-flavored cookies. Let the cookies cool completely before you frost them so the frosting doesn't melt. Does this Spark an idea?

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White frosting
Food coloring
Spatula
Bowl
Plastic sandwich bag
Scissors
Sprinkles
Dark food coloring
Fruit leather
Knife

Instructions

Sparkling Pumpkins
- 1
  
  Tint white frosting orange using red and yellow food coloring. Add a few drops of each and mix the frosting up. Continue adding coloring a few drops at a time until you're satisfied with the color.
- 2
  
  Scoop out 1 cup of frosting into a separate bowl. Add 2 more drops of red and yellow coloring to make it a slightly darker orange.
- 3
  
  Use a miniature spatula to coat each cookie with an even layer of light orange frosting. Leave the stem bare for now.
- 4
  
  Scoop the darker orange frosting into a plastic bag. Cut off 1 tip of the bag to make it into a piping bag.
- 5
  
  Pipe a thin line of dark orange frosting around the edge of each cookie and 2 lines down the middle of each cookie. These lines should shaped like parentheses to make the cookie look like it has the curves of a real pumpkin.
- 6
  
  Place several cookies in a single layer on a plate. Sprinkle orange sprinkles all over the cookies. The plate will catch all the extra sprinkles.
- 7
  
  Use a clean spatula or another homemade piping bag to decorate the pumpkin stem. Use green or black frosting.
Fruity Jack-'o-Lanterns
- 8
  
  Frost each cookie with orange frosting. Use a fairly thick layer so the decorations will stick. Leave the stem plain.
- 9
  
  Cover the pumpkin stem with frosting. Use dark green or black frosting.
- 10
  
  Roll out some pieces of fruit leather and use a sharp knife to cut out jack-'o-lantern facial features. Cut out triangles or circles for eyes, then cut jagged strips to make mouths.
- 11
  
  Arrange fruit leather on top of each cookie to give each one a face. Press the pieces down slightly to make them stick to the frosting.